Finn Harps 0-1 UCD

[Poor Student]

UCD winning 1-0, Philly Hughes

[Poor Student]

Final result. UCD are back where they belong, at the top. 8 games to go, 4 home, 4 away. 9 points secure from 4th place, so promotion looks very likely.

[Roo69]

Final result. UCD are back where they belong, at the top. 8 games to go, 4 home, 4 away. 9 points secure from 4th place, so promotion looks very likely.

Fair play, great win lads ! just the result we wanted as well, didnt want Harps making a gap between us.

UCD - 55 pts (+29 gd)
HARPS - 54 pts (+20 gd)
BRAY - 53 pts (+30 gd)

VERY tight at the top ! it's starting to get very interesting now. 8 games left ourselves with 4 at home and 4 away. We play Kildare on wed week, i reckon if we beat them the 3 of us are up, well fingers crossed anyway.

[Schumi]

Good game too! Hughes was excellent, he's got a lot of pace which I hadn't noticed in previous games and caused Harps a lot of problems. We were well on top in the first half and really should have been further ahead. Dicker (Donegal newspapers had an extra 's' in his name as usual :rolleyes: ) and Kenna were brilliant in the second half when Harps put some more pressure on.

[pineapple stu]

There were actually notes made on this one, but I've lost them since, so it's back to me trying desparately to remember stuff again... And it was two days ago at this stage, so apologies for any errors!

UCD went back to the top of the table after a two week absence after an impressive and hugely important win over Finn Harps in Finn Park on Saturday. Harps hadn't lost in 17 league games since appointing Felix Healy, and only Bray had come away from Donegal with all three points - even UCD going down back in April.

A win for Harps would have put them four points clear at the top - five clear of UCD - a bigger gap than had opened out all season. Pete Mahon's response to this was to drop 15-goal Willie Doyle, who hadn't scored in his last six games, and replace him with Philly Hughes, who hadn't scored at all in his three games so far, though not for want of trying! Neil Gallagher made a return to the bench after a broken finger, deplacing Freshers keeper Stephen Cashin. The experienced duo of Alan Mahon and Tony McDonnell, though, were still out injured.

UCD took the game to Harps from the off, and Robbie Martin had a good chance inside the first minute, but headed over. (Still don't remember it!). Harps did have the ball in the net on the quarter-hour when the ball was headed out of keeper Darren Quigley's hands - the header hit the post, the rebound was drilled home, but the whistle had long gone, presumably for a foul on the keeper. Quigley wasn't having one of his more composed games, and from a corner later in the half, he parried the ball down to his feet and was maybe fortunate that no Harps player was following up.

UCD took the lead on 28 minutes. Robbie Martin sent in a cross which Jon Minnock looked to have covered, but he inexplicably headed across his own six-yard box and Philly Hughes was able to not home to an empty net.

Two minutes later, it could have been 2-0 as Hughes unleashed a brilliant 30-yard volley which James Gallagher acrobatically tipped away. But UCD - and Hughes in particular - were really turning the screw now, and shortly afterwards, Finn had a chance from the best move of the half. It started with a Harps corner, which was easily cut out by Mick O'Donnell. The ball was worked up the left-wing through mostly one-touch football, via Robbie Mac, Hughes, Podge McWalter and finally Seán Finn, who ran onto McWalter's weighted through ball only to blaze narrowly over the bar. And shortly before half-time, Hughes was again in the thick of the action when he got away from his marker to set Robbie Martin up, but his shot from 15 yards hit the post and went out for a goal-kick.

Harps' only real response in this period was from Ross Connolly, who somehow managed to head over from underneath the crossbar with Quigley no-where. However, they were much more in the game in the second half, with McGrenahan and McHugh starting to make the UCD defence work. However, the defence was impeccable, and Harps were really restricted to one long-range effort, which Quigley held easily. They did have the ball in the net again, but Bradley had clearly handled when going in for the diving header, and Paul Tuite - surprisingly! - was on hand to award the free out and book Bradley.

Harps' last chance of getting something from the game probably went with ten minutes to go. Pat McWalter's turn on Jon Minnock seemed innocuous enough, but the defender went down injured. After a couple of minutes' treatment, he was stretchered off - apparently with a broken ankle. Harps having used all three subs, they were forced to play a 3-4-2 formation for the remainder of the game. UCD attacked mainly on the counter but, though they stretched Harps a couple of times, couldn't add a second goal, with keeping a clean sheet now the more important priority. In injury time, Gary Dicker required treatment and was immediately subbed off for Willie Doyle - presumably a precaution - with Doyle taking up a place in the midfield.

But College held Harps at bay for three points which puts them top of the table by a single point, though having played two of the top five (three after the game on Friday against Galway), with Bray and Harps having played one of the top five and Galway and Kildare having to face all four other teams in the final eight games. The run-in - coupled with UCD's traditional tendency to finish games strongly - seems to bode strongly for a quick return to the top flight.

UCD - Quigley; Sullivan, McAuley, Kenna, McNally; Dicker (Doyle 90), McWalter, Finn (O'Brien 90), O'Donnell; Hughes, Martin.

Att - c 1200

[Schumi]

The run-in - coupled with UCD's traditional tendency to finish games strongly - seems to bode strongly for a quick return to the top flight.
I assume you mean "finish seasons strongly" as we've been hopeless at finishing games properly this season!




Threads merged also!

[Schumi]

I'll post up my report from the Observer when they e-mail it to me (and after I remove some of the inaccuracies!).

[Sheridan]

Sounds like Philly's got over his crippling fear of kicking a football! Honestly, when he was at DC he looked a decent player, but seemed terrified of taking a shot. Even when he did, he ALWAYS underhit it for some reason. Weird.

Good luck to him at UCD.

[Schumi]

That's interesting because thinking about it, I can't remember a huge amount of shots from him in the games he's played but his dribbling has been excellent and he caused no end of problems for Harps most times he got on the ball.

[Poor Student]

Nice to see Hughes playing well. He looked good when he came on in the Athlone game for Doyle I think. Good movement and showed good skill but should have grabbed a goal I thought. But it's great he scored, always great to break your duck before these things build up. Why did he not start Doyle in such a crucial game though? Is Doyle not fit yet?

[Schumi]

Why did he not start Doyle in such a crucial game though? Is Doyle not fit yet?
He seems to be dropped. He hadn't scored in his previous five games.

[pineapple stu]

He's dropped according to his mum anyway! Fairly reliable source!

Harps seem impressed with us - from eleven-a-side (www.eleven-a-side.com/ucd)

Finn Harps forward Chris Breen has paid tribute to new First Division leaders UCD, who made the long journey north to take on title rivals Harps on Saturday night and left with an impressive 1-0 victory to regain pole position in the championship race.

Harps had led the way after an exceptional series of results, taking 13 wins and four draws in 17 matches stretching back to April.

However, College brought their unbeaten league run to a crashing end at Finn Park on Saturday, claiming all three points courtesy of Philip Hughes’s first half header.

And Breen, introduced by Felix Healy as a second half substitute, was thoroughly impressed with the Students.

He said: “They battered us and could have scored a lot more. Their movement up front was brilliant. We were poor but they were excellent.”

[Mr_T]

Just belatedly saying hello to the UCD travelling nutters who joined us for a pint on Sat last. Hopes yis survived another night in Ballybofey. Hopefully next time y're up it'll be for a top of the table clash in the Premier, we a match in the Premier at any rate!

We had a very off night but the best team won all over the park, most notable dominating the midfield. No complaints about the result. Congrats. Now if yous would just consider actually not winning a game or two till we catch yis again!!!

Thanks to PineappleStu for entering our fantasy footie competition at the cost of a whole €20. Thought you were a student but thanks anyhow!!!

Send us up a few more STIGs sometime.

[Schumi]

Hi Trev, enjoyed the trip apart from the usual $hitty bus service up there. Look forward to a premier division trip up there next year.


Send us up a few more STIGs sometime.Will do. If you're at the Ireland - Faroes match next week, I'll give them to you then. Otherwise I'll post this year's lot to you at the end of the season.